Regions of Ancient Macedonia

[akritas]

Pre-Philip II:

# Upper Macedonia

Ancient Name: Modern Location:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ORESTIS Kastoria province, Greece
TYMPHAEA Grevena province, Greece
ELIMEIA S. Kozane province, Greece
EORDAEA N. Kozane province, Greece
LYNKESTIS Florina province, Greece
PELAGONIA Monastiri (Bitola), FYROM

# Lower Macedonia


Ancient Name: Modern Location:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
AMPHAXITIS Kilkis province, Greece
ALMOPIA Pella province, Greece
PIERIA Pieria province, Greece
BOTTIAEA Emathia province, Greece
KRESTONIA N. Thessalonike province, Greece
MYGDONIA E. Thessalonike province, Greece
ANTHEMOUS S. Thessalonike province, Greece




Expansion under Philip II:
# New Macedonia


Ancient Name: Modern Location:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BISALTIA E. Thessalonike province, Greece
SINTIKE Serres province, Greece
ODOMANTIS Drama province, Greece
EDONIS Kavalla province, Greece
THASSOS Kavalla province, Greece
CHALKIDIKE Chalkidike province, Greece
SOUTHERN PAEONIA Gevgeli province, FYROM

[PhiliptheUniterchaeronea]

How much of the Slavic country is Macedonia proper? I'm guessing about 10%-25%. No way it is more. Yet they still make the decision to attempt to appropriate Hellenic culture and history.

[akritas]

PELAGONIA.

Pelagones though not mentioned by Homer as a distinct people, were probably known to him, from his naming Pelegon, the father of Asteropaeus, a Pmnian wairior. (Cf. Strab. Epit. VII. p. 331.) They must at one period have been widely spread over the north of Greece, since a district of upper Thessaly bore the name, as we shall see, of Pelagonia Tripolitis, and it is ingeniously conjectured by Gatterer, in his learned commentary on ancient Thrace, that these were a remnant of the remote epedition of the Teucri and Mysi, the progenitors of the Paeonians, who came from Asia Minor, and eonquered the whole of the county between the Strymoh and Peneus. (Herod. VII. 20. Cf. Strab. VII. p. 827. Steph. Byz. v. Pelagonia. Plin. IV. 10.) Frequent allusion is made of Pelagonia by Livy in his account of the wars between the Romans and the kings of Macedon. It was exposed to invasions from the Dardani, who bordered on its northern frontiers; for which reason the communication between the two countries was carefully guarded .by the' Macedonian monarchs. (Liv. XXXI. 28.)

Stubera
Stubera, so often mentioned by Livy in the Macedonian wars, was situated apparently on the Epigonus, as were also most of the Pelagonian cities. It was occupied by the Romans in their first campaign again Philip under Sulpicius (Liv. XXXI, 39 and XLIII. 18,20) and appears to have been a town of some opulence, the country around being rich and productive (Polyb. XXVIII.8,8).Strabo call it Stymbara(VII, fragm)

Bryaniun/Pissaum
Is also noticed by Livy in the first campaign ofthe Macedonian war. (XXXI. 39. and Strab. VII. fragm.). Stephanus improperly ascribes it to Epirus. (Βρυάνιον.) Polybius speaks of a Pelagonian town named Pissaum. (V. 108.)

Deuriopus/Alcomenae.
This portion of Pelagonia seems to have borne the particular appellation of Deuriopus. (Liv. XXXIX. 54.) Strabo calls the inhabitants Deuriopii, (VII. 387. Cf. 326.) and assigns to them Stymbara, Bryanium and Alcomenae.(Stef Byzantios, Δευρίοπος). Livy says that Deuriopus is part of Paeonia, and iswatered by the Erigonus, which rises in Illyria and falls into the Axius.

Stobi(Στοβοί)
Not far from the junction of the two rivers was Eltobi, an ancient city of somes note, as we learn from Livy, who reports, that Philip wished to found a new city in its vicinity, to be called Perseis, after his eldest son. (XXXIX. 54.). The same monarch obtained a victory over the Dardani in the environs of Stobi, (XXXIII. 19.) and it was fromthence that he set out on his expedition to mount Haemus. (XL. 41.) On the conquest of Macedonia.by the Romans, it was made the depot ofthe salt with which the Dardani were supplied fromthat country. (XLV. 29.). Stobi, at a' later period, became net only a Roman colony, but a Roman municipium, a privilege rarely conferred beyond the limits of Italy. In. the reign of Constantine, Stobi was considered as the chief town of Macedonia Secunda or Salutaris as it was then called( Stef Byzantios writes the name Στρόβος). Stobi was the biρth place of Jo. Stobaens, the author of the valuabIe Greek Florilegium which bears his name.

Aydaristus
Mentioned by Pliny (IV. 10.) and Ptolemy, (p. 83.) appears to have been not far from Stobi, at least, if, as I apprehend, the name of this place is distinguished in the Table Itinerary under that of Euristo. The distance from Stobi is only 20 klms.

Almopes
The Almopes, of whom Thucydides speaks as one of the original Macedonian tribes before the conquest of that county by the Temenidae, (11.99.) were probably a Paeonian people, and Ptolemy has placed them near the source of the Erigonus on the borders of Illyria.

Horma-Apsalus-Europus
Ptolemy ascribes to Paeonians three towns, Horma, Apsalus, and Europus, respecting which all other writers are silent. Lycophron designatesMacedonia by the name of Almopia.

Iori-Iorum
Ptolemy places the Iori in the same vicinity; but nothing, I believe, relative to their history can be ascertained.Their principal town was Iorum.

Gariscus
Is the only town belonging to this canton acknowledged by Ptolemy, it is noticed alsoby Pliny. (IV. 10.) Orbelia answers apparently tothe mountainous tract of Caratova.

[Cadmus]

Can someone elaborate the Almopes more??
Where they really the proto-macedonians?
What about the Brygi then...can they be linked with the Dorians??

[akritas]

Macedonian District:
Upper Macedonia, Almopia


General Information:
Thucydides (II, 99) offered the most ancient testimony preserved, related to Almopia, identifying it as the place from where the Macedones had driven out the Almopes. Unfortunately, the literary, historical and archaeological evidence for this region is scanty. As regards the name, there were suggestions that it derived from:

1. Almops, a giant that was son of Poseidon and Elle (Stephanos Byzantius, s.v. Almopia)
2. goddess Almopia
3. a compound word, consisting of «Alma-» and «ops» and referring to Almopia as a place inhabited by the Almopians (giants) with the well developed faces
4. Almopians, the local pre-Macedonian tribe.

Strabo (VII, fr 8), in his account of the area, placed Almopia after Eordaia, near Lynkos and Derriopos, while Pliny (IV, 17) mentioned the Almopians after the Eordians and before the Pelagonians. Those passages could imply that Almopia was adjacent to Eordaia, Lynkos, Derriopos and Pelagonia. Moreover, Pliny (IV, 35), in his reference to the sites of Almopia, mentioned a tributary of the Loudias (upper Loudias) running through it (maps 4,5). Evidently, Mts. Bora and Paikon formed the boundaries to the north and west the former and to the east the latter. Finally, the southern border was the physical plateau of Edessa. Consequently, Almopia bordered on Emathia and Bottiaia to the south and east respectively. Professor Demitsas (book 1, page 215) placing Almopia south of Pieria, on the frontiers between Macedonia and Thessaly.

As regards the pre-Macedonian ethnography of this area, Professor Maria Girtsi claim that apart from the general conception for the existence of Pelasgian, Paionians, Phrygians etcl a local tribe, the Almopes, occupied this area. The Almopes were of unidentified origin and according to Thucydides (II, 99) were expelled by Macedonians. There were several suggestions such as Demitsas that identified them as Pelasgians and Fanula Papazoglou that considered them as Paionians. However, neither of these identifications was based on conclusive evidence.


Sites :
The sites of Almopia listed in the ancient sources were: Orma, Europos, and Apsalos

Orma
Orma was listed as a site of Almopia only by Ptolemy (III, 13.24). Delacoulonche suggested that its name derived from the Greek word «orme» (=rush) and referred to the rush of the torrent that flowed through it and Demetsas located it at modern Orma (=ex. Tresino)

Europos
Europos was as well mentioned by Ptolemy (III, 13.24) and Pliny ( IV, 35). Pliny located it near the river Loudias or Rhoedias, since it changed its name at this district. However, this single literary evidence combined with the absence of secure archaeological evidence led to a debate (Hammond, Demitsas, Dezert e.t.c.), as regards the place, that Europus had occupied.

Apsalos
Apsalos was also recorded in Ptolemy' (III, 13.24) account of Almopian sites. Chrisostomou that its name meant a place that was adjacent to water. The only archaeological finds of the area were traces of fortifications to the south of the village modern Apsalso, some surface finds from the broader area of Apsalos and early-Christian buildings.

[Cadmus]

Great job done ! Akritas!

Could the Almopians share some genes /ancestry with the Paones?

[akritas]

Originally Posted by Cadmus

Great job done ! Akritas!

Could the Almopians share some genes /ancestry with the Paones?

Thank you Cadmus. As about your question according Fanula Papazoglou (wife of George Ostrogorsky) the answer is positive.But the majority of the scholars agree that Almopia constitutes a district that has not yet been thoroughly excavated or even researched.
Below is a map that show the ancient regions in Macedonia according Fanula Papazoglou.

[akritas]

Macedonian District:
Eastern Macedonia, Mygdonia


General Information:
Herodotus description (VII, 123-127) of Xerxes march through Mygdonia constitutes the most ancient reference of the name of this district. Unfortunately the mythological record of Mygdonia remains scanty. As regards the name of this region, it was suggested that it derived from:

1. Mygdon, son of Ares and Kalliope, brother of Edonos, Odomantos and Biston, and father of Krousis and Grastos (Apollodorus B', 519)
2. a compound word consisting of «Mu» (=the letter that in the Phoenician alphabet stood for water) + «chthon» (=land), referring thus to the geophysical picture of the area
3. Mygdones, the local tribe.

Herodotus (VII, 124) also mentioned that Echedoros ran through Mygdonia, but it had its sources in Krestonia, implying thus that Krestonia lay to the north of Mygdonia. Consequently, the sources or the river Echedoros along with prolongations of Mts. Chortiates and Vertiscos formed the northern boundaries. Pliny (IV, 41), ignoring the existence of Bisaltia claimed that Mygdonia extended to the east as far as the river Strymon

According to the ancient sources and the archaeological theories, the initial inhabitants of this region were Pelasgians, since the Pelasgian kingdom extended as far as the Strymon (Aeschylus, Iketides, 253)] and Paiones as implied by Strabo's testimony (VII, fr.41) that Paionians occupied Mygdonia, once in the old time and then later and the theory of the habitation of Paionians to the area east of Axios from the end of Late Neolithic Era and on. Hammond (Macedonia:4000 years of Greek History, page 67) and Borza (page 75, the Shadow in Olympus) in the 6th century BC Paiones, as a result of the consequences of the Kimmerian migration re-entered Mygdonia and either pushed Mygdones to the east or ruled over them [ relying on Strabo's testimony (VII, fr.41) that Paionians occupied Mygdonia later as well and the discovery of Paionian coins in Lete (site of Mygdonia).

The annexation of Mygdonia -which serves as the starting point in the Macedonian history of this district- evidently took place in two phases. Namely, although Amyntas occupied the southwestern part of Mygdonia since he was able to offer Anthemous (lying to the southwest of Mygdonia) to Hippias (Herodotus V, 94), the eastern part remained independent (since Lete for instance issued coins bearing its own name till 480 BC)329. However, the rest of Mygdonia was incorporated by Alexander I after the Persian retreat. In an earlier period, Mygdonia, because of its key-position, had served as the camp of Xerxes' army and the main port of his navy (Herodotus VII, 124,127).

Mygdonia was secured as an integral part of the Macedonian Kingdom after Philip II's enthronement. Alexander the Great, in order to honour his Mygdonian army troop, gave the name of Mygdonia to a place in Mesopotamia (Pliny VI, 16). Moreover, Kassander in 315 BC, founded there Thessalonike, a very important site. During the struggles among the successors, Mygdonia was separated from L.M. districts only in 287/6 BC, when Pyrrhos and Lysimachos divided between them the Macedonian Kingdom (Pausanias I, 10.2).

Sites
The combination of the literary, historical and archaeological evidence led to the assumption that Mygdonia included at least the below mentioned sites:
Therme, Thessalonike, Sindos, Chalastra, Lete, Apollonia, Arethousa, Bormiskos, Kalindoia, Xylopolis, Terpyllos, Karabia, Assiros, Antigoneia, Physka, Bairos, Bolbe, Altos, and Phileros

Sources

1. Demitsas M, Ancient Geography of Macedonia,1879
2. Nicholas Hammond, History of Macedonia Vol 1, 1972, Greek edition (1996)
3. Sakellariou, Macedonia: 4000 Years of Greek History, 1982
4. Maria Girtzi, Historical topography of ancient Macedonia,2001

[Cadmus]

Please continue Akritas, this is a most interresting topic.

Do you have something about the Mysians
and Teucrians?

Also im interested in the Eordians an Eordea who where they Pelasgians ?

And the Bryghes did once inhabited vast areas of macedonia they inhabited areas from epirus (Thresprothian) to the Strymon(paonians) could the Bryghes and Mysi and Teucrians be of the same stock? (as in Pelasgians maybe)

[Flipper]

ORESTIS MASSIVE INSIDE HEHEHEHE!

Good job Akrita!